


Love Lives On

by garbage_will_do



Category: Doctor Who (2005), Torchwood
Genre: Character Death Fix, Fix-It, M/M, Mpreg, Songfic, WIP, post-coe
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2013-07-25
Updated: 2013-07-25
Packaged: 2017-12-21 07:32:52
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,447
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/897584
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/garbage_will_do/pseuds/garbage_will_do
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Set four years after the events of COE.<br/>Jack's routine visit to the cemetery with his daughter produces an unexpected result and a mystery.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Love Lives On

**Author's Note:**

> Based on the song 'Love Lives On' by Mallory Hope.
> 
> I wrote this a few years ago (my first fanfic ever), and I'm hoping posting it here will inspire me to eventually finish it. It completely ignores Miracle Day because 1) I never saw it and 2) I never wanted to see it.

He woke up screaming again.

It was just like all the other times. He reached over to the other side of the bed, wanting to feel the reassuring warmth of his lover. But all he felt were the cold sheets, and he sighed as a tear rolled down his cheek.

In the other room, Jack heard a whimper. Apparently he had woken his daughter, again, and felt bad that she had to go through this every morning. As he went to calm her down, he thought of Ianto.

***

Jack placed three-year-old Myrddin in her chair and went to fix the coffee, all the while talking to his long dead lover as if he were in the room. He smiled faintly when he saw the coffee machine he had stolen from the Hub’s wreckage. He’d had it repaired not wanting to give up on it as he had everything else… well, except for Myrddin.

He continued to tell Ianto about his recurring nightmare of the Welshman's death as he poured two cups of coffee. Contrary to what the team had thought, Ianto _had_ taken time to patiently teach someone else how to use the machine – Jack. Whenever they had stayed at Ianto’s flat, Jack had always gotten up early to make coffee for the two of them. And even after nearly four years, old habits were dying hard.

He drank his first cup, then downed most of the other. Jack gave what was left over to his little girl, knowing she loved it. He chuckled at the thought. _Like fathers, like daughter…_

***

Going back to the bedroom Ianto had once shared with him, Jack retrieved his phone and called Rhiannon while he got Myr ready to go. He called Ianto’s sister whenever he could, and made a point to call on Sundays, holidays, and the kids’ birthdays. Rhi called him if she needed him for something, although it was very rare, but also called on Ianto’s birthday and Myr’s birthday. When he’d returned to Earth, Jack seeked her out and told her everything about Torchwood, himself, and his and Ianto’s relationship – if that’s what he could have called it – that he dared. Listening to her voice was calming for him.

_“He was as stubborn as a kid. Mum had always let him loose, and Tad was always saying he needed boundaries. In the end, the only people he ever listened to were me and our Gran….”_

He listened to the story for what seemed like the hundredth time. And every time he heard it, it was like he was hearing about it for the first time. His vision started to blur, so he blinked a couple times to get rid of the forming tears. He couldn’t break down in front of his daughter again, not so soon after the last time.

Stopping Rhi mid sentence, he asked, “Hey, Rhi? Would you like to come join me an’ Myr for our picnic? I think Ianto would like to see you.”

After a seconds thought she said, _“Sure, Jack. I’ll bring David and Mica along, too. I’m sure they’d like to come see their Uncle Yan. Johnny won’t be able to come today, though. He’s drowning at work, he won’t even be able to take a lunch.”_

“That’s fine. It’ll be good to see the kids, too.”

_“So I’ll see you there then. And, Jack?”_

“Yeah?”

_“Could you bring some of that coffee? It’s divine.”_

“I don’t go anywhere without it,” he replied, chuckling. Then on a more somber note, continued, “It helps me stay close to him.”

_“I understand, Jack.”_

“Thanks, Rhi.”

***

John Hart walked towards the cemetery. He didn’t normally do this, he’d just started walking and found himself going in that direction, but he went with it. There was an old friend he needed to visit.

He trudged carefully, out of respect for the dead, and walked right up to the familiar headstone. When he started talking, it was tentative.

“Hey, Eye-candy. Did ya miss me? … Probably not. I was always a bastard to you… and Jack, now that I think about it. Heh. Guess I deserve to be hated, after Gray an’ all.

“You know I hated you the moment I saw you in that bar. I could tell you were something special to Jack because his eyes rested on you for just that one second longer. And when you asked what kind of partners we were, I could hear the jealousy. After that I just rubbed your face in what we had. But Jack didn’t want me back, did he? He wanted you.

“Anyway, I can’t stay long. Jack will be here soon I suspect. Don’t want to get him upset, now do we? … See ya around, Eye-candy.”

***

Jack loaded up the SUV with the blanket and food. Then put the kid seat in the front, despite the airbag warnings. He liked to be able to see his daughter.

He put the little girl in her seat, and just stared for a moment. Her soft auburn hair fell around her shoulders, contrasting perfectly with her sea-blue dress. He thought the dress matched her blue eyes as well. A perfect mixture of blue, green, and grey. Ianto would be proud of his color coordinating. Another tear rolled down his face.

He himself was wearing the green shirt that he’d been wearing when Ianto had propositioned him, along with his red braces. Both he and Ianto had hated how the colors had clashed, but the Welshman had refused to let Jack get rid of the shirt. Once he was gone, though, Jack couldn’t bring himself to throw it away. And of course he was wearing his usual slacks and his favorite greatcoat.

Reluctantly, he returned to the driver’s side and drove to the cemetery. He parked and unloaded Myrddin and the picnic supplies. Holding the girl’s hand they walked over to the all-too-familiar headstone. And Jack was surprised to see Captain John Hart, of all people, standing there talking to the stone.

“Anyway, I can’t stay long. Jack will be here soon I suspect. Don’t want to get him upset, now do we? … See ya around, Eye-candy.”

As John turned to leave, Jack decided to speak up.

“Hey, John.”

The other man was surprised to see Jack standing there, and wondered how much he’d heard.

“Hey, Jack. How long have you been standing there?”

“Not long.” Jack noticed relief wash over the other man’s face, and had to wonder what he’d been talking to Ianto about. When John started to walk away, he said, “You’re welcome to stay, John. Just as long as you behave yourself. His sister and her kids are coming today, and you wouldn’t want to get on her bad side.”

“Thanks, I think I will stay. How’ve you been?”

“I’ve been better.”

“Oh. Okay.”

Jack looked around for a second, then seemingly made a decision.

“Can you watch Myr for a second? I want to go say hi to Gray.”

“Sure.” Then John lowered himself to his haunches to get to the girl’s level. She was hiding in the folds of her father’s coat, so he tried coaxing her out. “Hey, Sweetheart. Daddy needs to go see someone, come see Uncle John. Don’t worry, I’ll keep you safe.”

She hesitated, but went over to John eventually. Jack put down the picnic stuff he’d brought, then went over and brushed the leaves and grass from the headstone. On one side there was a carving of a stopwatch; on the other a picture of the young Welshman. The inscription read:

**Jones, Ianto Jones**

**Beloved Brother, Partner, and Father**

“Hey, Yan. Still haven’t forgotten you – just like I promised. I’m gonna go see Gray, but I’ll be right back.”

With that he left John and Myr to get reacquainted. They hadn’t seen each other for two years now.

A couple stones over, Jack found Gray’s grave. When the Hub had exploded, his cryo chamber had been destroyed, and Gray had died from not being properly revived.

He didn’t bother with the overgrowth, and instead sat down and thought of their childhood together. Then he thought about the attacks on Cardiff, and the loss of Tosh and Owen.

He heard John playfully chasing around a giggling Myrddin, then watched as he caught her and they rolled in the grass together. John tickled the little girl until her laughter echoed throughout the cemetery.

Jack turned back to Gray and simply said, “I forgive you.” Then he got up and returned to Ianto.

Myr came running towards him holding a bunch of little flowers that she had found growing in the grass. “Daddy, Daddy, look!” She held out the flowers for Jack’s inspection.

The immortal’s expression softened and he lowered himself to his daughter’s level. “Those are very pretty, Myr. Why don’t we go give them to Tad, hmm?”

The girl nodded excitedly, and ran back to the headstone. When Jack got there she was carefully placing the flowers next to the headstone. Jack set out the picnic blanket and put his arm around the little girl. She really did remind him so much of his young lover.

John was standing back watching them, and saw a woman and two kids walking towards them. He decided to warn Jack, so he walked over to where Jack was telling Myr about her Tad. The girl was listening intently, never taking her eyes off her father.

“He was so brave, Myr. He stood up to evil monsters and bad people… His coffee saved the world on many occasions… He made me a better person. Made me change from the heartless bastard I was–“

“Language!” Myr barked. Jack smirked, and John knew he was seeing Ianto.

“Jack, Rhi’s here.” Jack looked up at John with tears in his eyes. Jack was glad when John didn’t say anything.

Myr ran off to Rhi. She ran straight into the woman’s arms, and then led her aunt over to Jack and John. Jack got up to greet Rhi with a hug, but once he was engulfed in her embrace, he broke into tears.

“I miss him so much,” he said between sobs.

“I know, I know.”

Once Jack had calmed down, they shared stories about Ianto and ate lunch. For once, John held true to his promise and behaved. Afterwards, Jack lay down next to Ianto’s picture, and stroked the Welshman’s face while he spoke to him.

“Hello, Cariad. Happy Birthday. Myrddin is here, she even picked some flowers for you. Rhi and the kids are here, too. Even Hart is here, and he was talking to you earlier.

“I miss you. The pain is a little less now, but it still hurts. It hurts because I’m left here on my own. It hurts because your life was cut too short. It hurts because you’ll never hold your daughter, or see her raise her eyebrow the way you used to, or hear her laugh. But most of all: it hurts because I know that you’re all alone in the darkness, that never-ending darkness.”

Jack had to wipe away the tears before they fell on the picture.

“On a brighter note: Gwen had the baby. It was a girl, so she named her Carys. Don’t know why, but I think it was Rhys’ idea. I don’t think he knows the story about Gwen’s first day. Remember the alien sex-gas monster? Anyway she’s a little older than Myrddin.

“But I don’t want to bore you. It’s your birthday! You should be celebrating. You’re over thirty by now, right? That means you’re catching up to me. Of course you come nowhere near my actual age, which somewhere between 2150 and 2200. God. You make me feel old, then again you always did. I just never admitted it.”

Jack leant down and kissed the picture. He couldn’t stop a few tears from falling onto the cold, unfeeling granite.

“I _do_ miss you, Yan. And I’m sorry never told you I loved you when you were dying, but I didn’t want you to say goodbye. I couldn’t believe that you would die, and leave me to wake up without your arms around me. I need to hear your voice again, and sometimes I call your phone just so I listen to those beautiful Welsh vowels.” He pressed another kiss to the picture, then stood up to look down on his lover, his partner, his best friend.

“I’ll never forget you Jones, Ianto Jones. You’ll never be just a blip in time for me. I promise. And I keep my promises, don’t I?... I love you, Cariad. I’ll always love you.”

***

Myrddin was playing with David and Mica, but when she saw her father break down again, she ran over to console him. Jack buried his face in her hair the way he would have if it were Ianto. She even smelled like him a little bit, but maybe it was just the coffee and his imagination playing tricks on him.

A little while later everyone went their separate ways. John returned to the hole he currently inhabited, and Rhiannon went home to fix dinner for Johnny. Jack cleaned up, and father and daughter began to make their way back to the SUV.

As they neared, Jack saw a figure leaning casually against the side of the car. His hand automatically went to his hip, and he pulled out his Webley. Jack got into a protective stance in front of his little girl and told her to stay quiet.

When Jack could make out the figure’s face, he couldn’t believe his eyes. Two icy blue eyes locked with his own blue-grey ones. The disbelief must have been very apparent because soon the eyes were sparkling with amusement. Those familiar lips curled up in a smirk, and Jack couldn’t help but throw himself at the man in front of him. Their lips clashed together in a hard, passionate kiss. Jack barely registered the _clunk_ of his Webley on the asphalt.

Jack needed to taste him, so he pushed his tongue into the man’s mouth and probed. Soon enough a tongue was pushed into his own mouth, neither coming up for air anytime soon. Hands began clenching in hair and grasping clothes, until finally they had to break for air.

Both men were panting and leant against each other. Jack closed his eyes and put their foreheads together. The other man relaxed against the immortal, relishing in the feel of their bodies together.

Then he chuckled. He pulled back so that he could look into Jack's eyes.

“Hello, Jack,” he whispered.

Jack smiled back through his tears when he heard those vowels. “Ianto.”


End file.
